Sana’a: Yemen's main oil refinery in the port city of Aden has begun operating after months of suspension in the wake of consecutive attacks on oil pipelines in the lawless province of Mareb.

This week the refinery received the first shipment crude from the Ras Isa export terminal on the Red Sea coast.

Dr Najeeb Mansour, the executive manager of Aden Refinery, told Saba news agency that the sabotage attacks on the oil pipelines have cost the country $50 million monthly.

Najeeb said that the refinery will treat as many as 2,400,000 of crude oil this month and will receive at least three shipments next month.

The country’s outputs of oil and gas from the restive province had been repeatedly sabotaged by local tribesmen. Also authorities accused last July military officers of taking part in sabotaging the oil pipelines.

Cashing in on weakened central government, the attackers detonated the pipelines to extract concessions from the government.

Yemen’s new president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, pledged to put an end to the attacks and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Early in July, army brigades were deployed in the province to protect an engineer team that was repairing a crude export pipeline.

The disruption of oil production to the refinery caused acute shortage of fuel, forcing the government to seek fuel aid from Saudi Arabia.

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